The dog days of the quarter are here - when the end is in sight, but the workload is not getting any lighter and getting up for that 8 a.m. class is virtually impossible.
For the Ohio volleyball team, not only is it the middle of the academic quarter and their Mid-American Conference regular season, but the middle of a two-weekend road trip.
It's that time of year in terms of homework and freshman realizing 'oh this is actually work
' coach Geoff Carlston said. It's just that part of the season you have to grind out and it's good to be at home. We're just unfortunately not home so we have to grind it out on the road.
The No. 22 Bobcats (18-2, 8-0 MAC) will face Western Michigan tonight and Northern Illinois on Saturday.
First in the conference with their 2.96 blocks-per-game average, the Broncos (12-6, 5-3 MAC) are led by middle blocker Shaylen Jackson whose 1.54 blocks a game is also tops in the MAC.
Western Michigan's defensive abilities certainly have not gone unnoticed among the Ohio attackers.
We've worked on using different techniques and going up against a big block and trying to hit around it and working on different ways to score besides just swinging outside hitter Holly Schetzsle said. I think finding different ways to score is going to be key.
Ohio has been concentrating on its own blocking all season, and outside hitter Stephanie Blackburn said she thinks all the practice is paying off. I think we're getting a lot better at blocking
Blackburn said. It's more of a mentality thing. We're starting to feel as though we're a blocking team. The Huskies' (11-11, 4-4 MAC) middle blocker Kate McCullagh was just named MAC West Division Player of the Week. Her 5.65 kills-per-game average is enough for first in the conference and fourth in the country.
After last weekend's matches the Bobcats are now first in the country in assists per game with a 16.59 per-game average and first in kills with a 17.81 per-game average, surpassing teams like No. 1 Nebraska and No. 5 Stanford.
I'm still kind of surprised at how high we are. We haven't had a slack schedule
so it's cool
Carlston said. With our passing
and a setter who can run the show
and we distribute (the ball) pretty evenly
I think that's the biggest thing.
